13 December 2005

A pox on all their houses

(via instapundit)
This short musing from Clive Davis regarding left liberal groupthink amongst 'artistic types' reminds me of a refrain I invariably say when this is brought up.

The reason conservative thinkers and commenters are usually better, more humorous and cogent is because they are constantly exposed to the 'enemy' camp.

You can't get a degree, watch television, go to an exhibition of contemporary art, see a play, go to the movies, etc., etc., without being bombarded with the latest canards from the left.

The left however seem to share habits with young children. When confronted with unpleasant facts their fingers find a way into their ears and they begin chanting 'la, la, la, la, la, I can't hear you, la, la, la, la, la, la, I can't hear you, (repeated ad infinitum))

Why title this post a pox on all their houses?

Well social conservatives aren't much better. They have a habit of demonizing and condemning all opposition to eternal hellfire. The war on videogames (I'm talking to you Jack Thompson) is a good current example.

Marginalizing opposing ideas isn't a way to win an argument or change policy, it's a path that leads towards self marginalization.

Of course I'm gladdened when either of those groups become more marginal

(Here's a raised glass of your favorite intoxicating beverage or substance to a future Moderate/Libertarian majority (and I believe that libertarian and moderate can be fused once enough people realize that the libertarian way IS the moderate way))

5 comments:

Pooh said...

An interesting observation as to liberal groupthink. Here's the thing, I'm not sure I've ever met anyone who I would describe as "conservative" but not "a social conservative". Of course that could be because old-school conservatism involves stuff that doesn't get brought up at cocktail parties, while god, guns and gays do.

(Ok, guns don't count, I needed a third G. Sue me.)

goesh said...

Yeah, God, guns and gays - pretty much sums it up. Rational conversation regarding fiscal conservatism for instance is so boring and lacks emotional punch, less exciting at brunch. Not much righteousness to be had debating what percentage of a budget cut will reduce paperwork and still yield the same amount of services in a given agency. Nope! I'd rather be homophobic or a liberal traitor aiding the enemy.

XWL said...

Where I live the level of 'presumptive liberalism' is off the chart.

If you are articulate, young, and irreligious than you are presumed to be liberal.

At a cocktail party if you are there to network, get laid, or make friends you will generally find it more profitable to find matters to agree with the majority of guests rather than to disagree.

There are plenty of conservatives who aren't 'family values' conservatives, but they don't stand out in a crowd or announce their opposition to the latest social program du jour if they know they might get icy stares from the crowd.

People are mostly cowardly, the social conservatives that loudly announce their opposition to liberalism even when surrounded by them do so because they view themselves as part of a larger, divine collective.

True believers don't care if they won't get laid by hippie chicks/boys, everyone else will either avoid talk of politics or claim to be a libertarian (what do you call a conservative who still gets laid? a libertarian, old joke I know, but sometimes a kernel of truth hides in jest)

XWL said...

Oh, and what goesh said, too.

Regardless of your position along the ideological continuum, talk of economic policy is a non-starter at social functions.

Pooh said...

I agree. I think you are probably right that the liberalness of my environments (Liberal-Arts College? Check. Law School? Check. Courthouse? Check.) probably serves to suppress expressive conservatism. Maybe I'm 'conservative' on non-social issues? I really have no basis for comparison.

But because I haven't seen it, I'm not sure what a debate between a non-wingnut and a non-moonbat would look like. (Then again, considering the state of politics, I'm not sure what a "debate" would look like either...)